5,000 join pilgrims’ walk to Sulangan, Guiuan

By MEDORA NIMFA QUIRANTE
June 15, 2012

BORONGAN CITY  –  More than 5,000 Saint Anthony of Padua devotees walked the 21 kilometer road that leads to barangay Sulangan’s parish church on June 12, 2012.

According to Guiuan Tourism Officer Aurora delos Reyes, one of the event organizers, the devotees took off from Guiuan’s Immaculate Conception Church, located at the heart of the town, at 2:00 AM.

Besides pilgrims from Eastern Samar, the first ever Pilgrims’ Walk also attracted participants from other provinces in the region.

“Based on the registration sheets we have, there are even devotees from Manila and other parts of the country. We even have some who came from other countries,” delos Reyes said in an interview.

Eastern Samar Governor Conrado B. Nicart, Jr and Vice-Governor Christopher Sheen P. Gonzales were also spotted during the activity, the former coming with other key officials in the province.

In a separate interview, Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan said that the activity is part of the local government’s “intensive tourism campaign.”

Delos Reyes said that the town offers three packages for prospective tourists: historical and educational - which includes a tour of its 16^th century church and other historical landmarks, adventure - a tour package for surfers and skim boarders, and religious - which centers on the pilgrimage to Saint Anthony of Padua Church in Sulangan.

Saint Anthony of Padua’s feast, a day after the Pilgrim’s Walk, saw thousands of visitors – foreign and local alike.

Sulangan is considered the prime pilgrimage site in the province.

“Roughly 40% of the tourists that visit Guiuan come because of Sulangan,” delos Reyes said.